The Final Heartbeat
by Ruth Joyce
Summary: Clara and Ashildr discover that the extraction chamber can only sustain a dying person for so long, and their adventures come to an end...or so they think. An unexpected visitor intervenes, and Clara's in for more than one surprise. Spoilers for "Face the Raven" and "Hell Bent" (but not "Husbands of River Song," I haven't seen that yet). Rated K plus for some sadness. One-shot.
Clara opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. Ashildr sat next to her, running a scanner over her body.

"Do you remember what happened?" Ashildr asked.

"No," Clara said hoarsely, feeling a bit weak. "Something about…a Zygon?"

"No," Ashildr said, shaking her head. "That was the last adventure. This time, we had a Dalek."

"Oh." She sat up and felt her head gingerly. "Did it get me?"

"No," Ashildr said slowly. "You just collapsed. I took care of the Dalek, but you were out for twenty minutes at least. Clara…"

"Yeah," Clara whispered. "I know."

"You're dying," Ashildr said gently. "The extraction chamber could only have your

"Yeah," Clara sighed. "Still, I lasted longer than we expected. That was, what, two years?"

"I stopped keeping track of years thousands of years ago," Ashildr said, helping her up. "Back to Gallifrey, then?"

"Yeah," Clara said resignedly.

* * *

"Great Arcadia, what happened?" a Time Lord asked as Ashildr dragged Clara out of their Tardis.

"We took a detour," Ashildr said.

"Somewhere between two or three years," Clara said. "We're not sure."

"Why?" the exasperated man asked.

"We wanted to see what would happen," Clara said matter-of-factly. "It was a fascinating experiment. I took notes for you."

"We've got to get you back in, right now!"

"Wait!" Clara froze as a familiar Scottish voice called out. "She needs this first."

Not daring to turn around, Clara saw a small case fly through the air. The Time Lord caught it and examined it.

"But this is a neural relay. Why…?"

"Doctor's orders."

"Doctor," Ashildr said, moving to block Clara from view. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think? I came to make sure nothing goes wrong with Clara's…procedure. And look, I was right! He nearly forgot the neural relay! Shame on you!"

"But it's not necessary…"

"Well, maybe not in ordinary cases, but this is Clara…Clara—you know, let's just stick with Clara—we're talking about here. I'm taking extra precautions. Now," he turned back to Clara. "It's just a minor surgery, basically no more than a shot. You'll hardly feel it."

"It may not work for her," the Time Lord said.

"I don't care, try it."

Finally, Clara turned around to face him. He was mildly surprised.

"You! The girl at the restaurant, _you're_ Clara?"

"Yes. Doctor," she began slowly. "How can you be here? You don't even remember me."

"Hold still, please," the other Time Lord said.

"These memory things are funny," the Doctor said, holding up a neural block and looking at it curiously. "Because, unlike the technique I used with Donna, this doesn't delete all the experiences and adventures connected with the person you're erasing. It just leaves holes, like cutting out pictures from magazines, or photoshopping. I may not remember details, every conversation, or the small things, but the really important adventures I can remember, and I know that someone else was there, even if I don't know what they look liked."

Clara shook her head. "I still don't understand."

"After Amy and Rory left me, I hid in my Tardis for nearly a thousand years. That was one whopper of a depression right there, let me tell you. So who roused me out of it, brought me back into the world again? Who jumped into my time stream at my grave, splintering into an untold amount of echoes just to save my life? And not just once, hundreds of times some girl named Clara sacrificed herself for me. Who stopped me from destroying Gallifrey, who prompted me to go back to being the Doctor and _save_ it? Who fought her way back to Trenzalore again and again, despite my best efforts to keep you away and out of danger? Who convinced the Time Lords to give me a second cycle of regenerations? And just look at me! I'm rude, sarcastic, reckless, cold and uncaring. Time and time again, you never gave up on me. Clara, we went to hell and back together. I stayed 4.4 billion years trapped in a confession dial to save you." The Doctor took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Do you honestly think that a friendship like ours could be completely erased…forever?"

"But isn't this dangerous, you and me?" Clara asked, crying. "The reason we used a neural block was because it was too dangerous for us to be together. You went too far."

"I know. But not anymore. The neural block took enough of my memories for me to be distant from the frankly appalling passionate emotions. But it left just the right amount for me to still care enough to come back and make sure this is done safely."

"What is the neural relay?" Ashildr asked.

"Exactly as it sounds. It relays neural information." He reached into his pocket suddenly and pulled out his new screwdriver. "Look! I got a new sonic!"

"It's beautiful," Clara sniffed. "What happened to the glasses?"

"Hmm? I, uh, don't remember."

"You lost them, didn't you?" Clara asked.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I think it was somewhere in Nevada…"

"Hold on," Ashildr stopped him from elaborating. "Why does she need a neural relay?"

The Doctor stared at her. "Isn't it obvious? It'll let us know that she fits back into her own timeline alright. Is it done?"

"That should have given it enough time to set in," the Time Lord said, helping Clara to her feet.

"Thank you for traveling with me," Ashildr said, hugging her.

"It was a blast," Clara said. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. I could stay here on Gallifrey, or keep traveling to see new planets. Or both."

"Good luck. Just, don't travel alone."

"I won't."

Clara turned to the Doctor. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"For everything." She hugged him tightly. "But especially for coming back."

"Anything for my Impossible Girl."

Taking a deep breath, Clara slowly walked over to the open door to her death. There was a faint, glowing outline where her body had been at the moment of her extraction. Carefully, she stepped into the outline, and the Time Lord pressed the play button.

Everything happened in slow motion and all at once. The portal to Gallifrey clicked shut, and reality surrounded her. Clara sucked in what she knew to be her last breath and savored the fresh crispness. A sound that she hadn't heard in years enveloped her, took over every sensation. Clara felt the single heartbeat, felt it's warmth shoot through her body. From her ears to her fingertips, she heard the pulse. The Raven, inches from her chest one moment, was gone the next. Pain swept over her, and she knew the Raven had entered her body. Despite her best efforts to be brave, she screamed. It was time for the next heartbeat, but it didn't come. Her lungs gasped for breath, but she couldn't make them obey. Black smoke poured out of her mouth and clouded her vision...

* * *

Clara opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. River Song sat next to her on the bed but didn't seem to notice she was awake. Everything in the room seemed white and clean, so unlike the place in her last dim memory. Before Clara could speak, three children, two girls, and boy, ran into the room. River motioned them to be quiet.

"Aunt River, who's she?" the little boy asked, pointing innocently. "Why is she here?"

"Sit down, and I'll tell you a little story," River said. She spoke quietly, in a soothing tone that made Clara want to fall asleep. "Once upon a time, a little girl named Charlotte Abigail Lux was dying."

"Hang on," the oldest girl interrupted. "You're telling my story."

"I know. But your story always intersects with everyone here. Charlotte's family loved her very much, and because they were rich, they did something very special for her. They bought a planet and filled it with every book ever written in all of time and space. They saved Charlotte's mind and put it in charge of The Library. They created a virtual world for her to live in. Now Charlotte would live forever. She had all the books she could read and many friends who would come and visit her and her library. But one day the shadow monsters came." River's voice darkened with the drama; Clara found herself listening intently. "The Vashta Nerada came and threatened all the lovely, innocent people in The Library. So Charlotte did a very brave thing: she uploaded the minds of all those people into her virtual world."

"Is Charlotte a hero?" the other little girl asked.

"Of course not, Ella," Charlotte insisted. "I didn't mean to be a hero."

"You know," River said wisely, "most of the heroes I have known never intended to be heroes. They were scared, but they did what was right. That's what makes someone a hero. So yes, I think Charlotte is a hero, but don't let that go to your head!"

Charlotte smiled shyly. "Will you finish the story?"

"Of course," River smiled. She still hadn't reacted or looked at Clara. "Charlotte saved over 4,000 people, but it cost her. There were too many people living in her young mind. Time broke down; a few years in here would only take a few seconds, jumping from milestone to milestone. Things went wrong for some people."

"But then the Doctor came!" the little boy said excitedly.

"Yes, Joshua! The Doctor came and defeated the Vashta Nerada. He freed the people from Charlotte's virtual world..."

"With your help," Ella added. "You sacrificed yourself so everyone could go home. Does that make you a hero?"

"Well..." River began.

"Yes," Charlotte said firmly. "If you get to say that I'm a hero, then I get to say the same thing about you!"

"Oh, alright. Yes, that is what happened. But the Doctor played a significant role in it, and in return, Charlotte agreed to save a few of the people who had died. At first, it was just my friends and me from my team that had also died in the adventure. But one day, the Doctor returned to Charlotte. He looked different this time; he wore a different face, but it was him. And he asked if she could take in just five more. He had four people ready for the download right then, and there was another that he suspected would need a new home quite soon."

"And I said yes," Charlotte said. "So, is she the fifth?"

"Yes," River Song said, finally turning to look at her patient. "Clara Oswald is the fifth of those the Doctor promised to bring, and she is the last. She's also a hero you know, and a very special person to the Doctor, so I expect you all to respect and love her."

"Of course, Aunt River!" Ella exclaimed.

"We love everybody," Joshua said.

"Good. Now, run along and see if Dave will take you on a walk. I think Clara and I need to have a little chat."

"May we come back and see her later?" Ella asked politely.

"Of course, you can. But right now she needs some space."

The three children ran along calling for Dave, and River turned back to Clara.

"Welcome to The Library, Clara." She took Clara's hand gently. "How do you feel?"

Wearily, Clara looked at her in exasperation. "Has somebody been messing with my memories, because you're dead. And I have no idea how I got here." River looked at her pointedly. "Am I dead?" Clara asked.

"Probably. It's ok; memory is always a little fuzzy after the initial upload. Did you understand the story I told to the children?"

"Yes, mostly. But...I'm supposed to be dead. The Doctor messed with time and saved me by this extraction chamber, and I was meant to go back and die anyway. Time won't heal properly unless..."

"Clara, tell me what happened right before you came here. Did you go to the extraction chamber?

"Yes. And then the Doctor showed up, but he didn't try to stop me from going back."

"What _did_ he do?"

"He made sure I got a neural relay or something."

"Ah," River smiled. "That's how he saved me."

"But he's not supposed to save me!" Clara insisted.

"He's the Doctor," River said gently. "He even meddles with fixed points in time now and then. It didn't stop him at Pompeii...ok, bad example. But it didn't stop him when I died at the Library, or when he was supposed to die at Lake Silencio. And if he would do it for anyone, then, of course, it would be his Impossible Girl."

Clara still looked confused but decided just to accept it and move on. Sometimes that was all you could do. "So...how long do we stay here?"

"We don't know. It might be forever, and we stay the same age like in Charlotte's case. Or we just live out a normal life. Charlotte's different because she _is_ the computer."

"Oh."

Cautiously, Clara sat up in the comfortable bed. Now she could see out the window: a beautiful lawn sloping down to a forest. Through the scattered trees she caught a glimpse of a clear lake. There was a knock at the door; River smiled as a young woman with bright red hair entered.

"I thought you'd be awake by now," she said in a soft Scottish accent. "I brought you some tea."

"Thank you, Amy dear," River said gratefully. "Clara, this is Amy Williams. The Doctor might have referred to her as Amelia Pond, or just Pond."

"Please say he mentioned me," Amy asked, handing Clara a cup.

"Yeah, he did. Right before his regeneration, he started hallucinating about some little girl named Amelia, the first face his face saw or something."

Amy smiled and blinked back. "Good to know I wasn't forgotten," she whispered.

"Amy and her husband Rory were one of the four mentioned in my story," River explained. "And she's my mother."

Clara raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Long story," Amy said. "But the Doctor rescued Rory and me from Missy's Gallifreyan prison or whatever that was. We were never really sure what it was since we only saw things from the inside. Just another time we thought we died but didn't."

River laughed. "He should put a sign on the Tardis: Warning, side effects may include frequent deaths and short-term immortality."

Clara grinned. "Was it really that frequent? I thought I was special."

"It's become more frequent in the last thousand years for him," River said.

"Oh, Rory would love to talk to you about your experiences," Amy said. "When you've settled in."

"I'd love too," Clara said eagerly. "But, if you don't mind me asking, why aren't you old? I mean, the Doctor told me your story and said you died in the early 2000s from old age. If he rescued you from Missy's Nethersphere-which is where I'm assuming he rescued you-then wouldn't you be old?"

"That is a very interesting question," Amy said. "And, unfortunately, one we don't know the answer too. Maybe it was a computer glitch, maybe all people here are supposed to be young, or maybe the Doctor had something to do with it. I am grateful no matter how it happened. Not that I minded being old, and growing old with Rory was always my dream, but if we're going to be here forever and not change, then I'd rather stay like this."

"Of course," Clara nodded. "That's reasonable." She paused and thought for a moment. "If we are here forever, then what are we supposed to do?"

"Well, you can start with every book in the universe," River said. "We can access the Library as holograms, although that's the only way we can leave this place."

"And Lottie, Ella, and Joshua are always up for adventures," Amy said.

"Lottie?"

"Oh, that's my nickname for Charlotte," she explained.

"I suppose I could teach them," Clara said wearily. "I used to be a nanny and school teacher."

"Don't look so glum," Amy said. "It's not so bad."

"Amy," River said suddenly. "She doesn't know. Bring him in."

Smiling slyly, Amy left the room. River gently made Clara put her teacup on the bedside table.

"There were four people the Doctor brought back to Charlotte from the Nethersphere," River said. "Amy and Rory were two of them. They were intended as company for me since they are my parents. But he always knew that one day you would have to die, so he made a backup plan. And he brought a few others for you."

Clara looked at the door expectantly, waiting. She had a sneaking suspicion who it was, but she still jumped up in surprise when Danny Pink burst in.

"Danny!"

She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly, trying not to cry. River slipped away quietly, leaving the two of them in peace.

"The Doctor saved me after all," Danny said. "He couldn't tell you because he knew you would want me alive in the world."

"This is better," Clara said, kissing him.

"Oh, Clara," Danny said, smiling. "I'm not even the best part of all this. I know you want to talk to me, and explore this world, but I think you'll want to meet this person first. You'll want to sit down for this one."

He led her back to the bed and sat her down. Confused, Clara looked past him as the door opened again. This time, she completely broke down and couldn't even move. The woman, who was also crying, sprang across the room and enveloped her in a warm, loving hug.

"Clara, my Clara," she murmured. "You've grown up so much."

"Hi, mum," Clara managed to get out.


End file.
